Searching for a job can often feel like a herculean task – especially after you’ve poured countless hours into tweaking your resume and filling out applications only to be met with wave after wave of rejections. When you’ve labored intensely over things that have yet to bear fruit, it’s natural to feel disheartened. But what if you could make your job hunt less tedious, which is to say, less soul draining? What if, instead of spreading your net far and wide to try and catch any opportunity that vaguely aligns with your skill set, you opted for a more calibrated approach that’s likely to lead to a satisfying, career-advancing position?
If the present way that you’re conducting your job search is leaving you frustrated or on the verge of burnout, it’s time to change your mindset and your strategy To that end, imagine if your job search was like selling a product to a targeted demographic rather than trying to appeal to an undifferentiated mass of consumers. This analogy can simplify and demystify your job hunt, turning it into a series of manageable, actionable steps.
You as the Sales Representative
Product Knowledge: Knowing Yourself
A good salesperson understands their product inside out. Similarly, a top-notch job applicant knows themselves, and how to articulate their skills, experience, values, and goals in a manner that is confident, concise, and without pretense. Make sure you can summarize what skills you bring to the table before you fire off an application. Take a step back and reflect on what you’ve accomplished so that you’re not overlooking things that would serve you well to highlight.
If you need some help with this, take a statistically reliable and well-researched personality assessment to give you insight.
As a career coach, I’ve noticed that uncommonly intelligent people often underplay their abilities, while less capable individuals are not shy about engaging in all types of puffery.
Prospecting & Qualifying Leads
Just as a salesperson researches potential customers, you need to research companies and positions that complement your strengths and goals. This involves identifying industries and companies where your skills and experiences are in demand. Utilize job boards, company websites, LinkedIn, and industry publications to gather information. Qualify your leads by assessing whether these companies’ values align with yours and if they offer roles that match your career aspirations.
The Pitch: Tailoring Your Resume & Cover Letter
Your resume and cover letter are your sales pitch. Tailor these documents for each application to highlight your value to the specific employer. Focus on showcasing how your skills and experiences make you the ideal candidate for the position. Use keywords from the job description and quantify your achievements to make a compelling case. Be thoughtful in your approach since a generic resume and cover letter won’t stand out to an employer that’s wading through a sea of applicants.
Closing the Deal: The Interview
If you’ve landed a job interview, pause to appreciate the effort you’ve put in. Remember, that in a tight job market, hiring managers are flooded with potential candidates so making it past the initial hurdle, is a testament to your resourcefulness. Now, take the time to research the employer in question to thoroughly understand their challenges. It’s vital that you convey to the representative with whom you’ll be speaking what you intend to do for their company rather than what you hope they’ll do for you. Think of it as the difference between saying, “I’d like to get this from working for you”–experience, new skills, an intellectual challenge, etc.– as opposed to saying, “I want to advance your objectives and make your operations more efficient by doing this, this, and this.” Acting in this fashion will go a long way to demonstrating that you’re not only capable, but also genuinely interested in the company and the role.
Following Up: Thank You Notes and Networking
After the interview, follow up with a thank-you note. (If you’re applying for a particularly fancy job–consider going the extra mile and writing a handwritten note,) This simple act demonstrates professionalism and reinforces your interest in the position. Regardless of what happens, continue networking with professionals in your field. Building and maintaining relationships can open doors to future opportunities.
The Career Coach as the Sales Manager
Mentoring and Training
A sales manager provides guidance and training to their team. Similarly, a career coach can help you refine your job search strategy and improve your “sales” skills. A seasoned career coach can offer you actionable advice on how to improve the ways that you present yourself to potential employers. Moreover, they can help to keep you on track by setting realistic, achievable goals such as applying to a certain number of jobs each week or attending networking events. By regularly reviewing your progress, your career coach will help you assess what’s working and what’s not, so that you can adjust your approach as needed.
Motivation and Support
A career coach provides encouragement and support, helping you overcome obstacles and stay motivated. Job searching can be a lonely and discouraging process, but with a coach by your side, you’ll have a partner to cheer you on and keep you accountable.
Supporting you in finding the leads
Once we have identified the kinds of positions and companies that you would be the best fit for, a career coach can help you find the right people to reach out to and put those leads in an Excel spreadsheet for easy outreach.
Accountability, tracking progress, and keeping you on track with a step by step action plan
In addition to the above, the career coach is also monitoring and tracking progress on Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for your job search.
This much more than…
How many applications have you sent out?
How many first, second, and third rounds interviews have you had?
What we are talking about here is a full-on, all-out, marketing campaign to market your candidacy for the companies and roles that you want! This includes networking, how to network, and knowing who and how to market yourself for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
Providing guidebooks, systems, and structures to make sure you are not over-whelmed and quit half way through.
Additional Tips
Career coaching can destroy the process of recruiting
As a career coach, the goal is to help the candidate (job seeker) get the best position that they want.
Let’s think about this, one of the goals of recruiting is to assess the skills of the candidate and ask knock-out questions to see if they are a good fit for the position. If the candidate is not a fit, it is on to the next one for the recruiter. If the recruiter gave the answers to the knock-out questions to the candidate it would destroy the process of recruiting.
Handling Objections
Just as salespeople handle objections from potential customers, job seekers need to address concerns from potential employers. Be prepared to explain gaps in your resume, career changes, or other potential red flags. Turn these into opportunities to showcase your resilience, adaptability, and growth.
Practical Tips for Each Step
- Finding Job Leads: Use job boards, company websites, LinkedIn, industry-specific sites, and networking events.
- Effective Networking: Reach out to industry professionals, join relevant groups, attend events, and stay active on LinkedIn.
- Interview Preparation: Research the company, practice common questions, prepare your own questions, and review your resume and cover letter.
If you’re ready to think more strategically about your next career move, then I invite you to email me at coachdavemarch@gmail.com and let’s talk more!